Articles tagged with: Body Image

This is one person's story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Dallas Rising, a former The Emily Program client and woman in recovery

It’s spring and I’m attempting to start seeds indoors for my garden. Vegetables on my mind, I leafed through a food magazine with a feature on eating more veggies. I didn’t get to the feature on vegetables, though, because my page flipping stopped cold when I saw a photo of a 1980's Jane Fonda in her signature leotard/leg warmer combo. The caption made a quip about her (totally awesome) leg warmers before citing new research saying it’s harder to be thin than it used to be.

To those of us with eating disorders, the concept of loving our bodies is completely foreign. We all engage in some form of over and under-eating, abusive self-talk, and a denial of our body's real needs. These behaviors seem so habitual that it's hard to imagine doing it any other way, let alone practicing love. I personally assumed that recovery could get my body healthy, but would still feel miserable about it. I knew the crazy body-love that all these recovered people talked about wasn't for me.

Yet here I am today, able to say that I honestly love my body. I love it every day, all the time. Allow me to explain...

Today we share part 3 of our #ExplainingED campaign. Over the past month we have been gathering submissions from providers who help individuals and families recover, the clients who are currently or have previously dealt with ED, and the families and friends who are impacted and supporting their loved one for our #ExplainingED campaign. For these submissions, providers, clients, family, and friends, were asked to complete the sentence "What I want you to know about eating disorders is______________." Our #ExplainingED campaign sheds light on some of the dos, don'ts, insights, hurt, shame, resilience, recovery, and other factors that come with an eating disorder. How would you complete the sentence?

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

Today, we are proud to share the final statements from this year's St. Paul Ballet campaign, Take Back the Tutu – See Beyond Beautiful If you missed part 1, you can read it here.

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person's unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types, body shapes, or relationships with food. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

Today we share part 2 of our #ExplainingED campaign. Over the past month we have been gathering submissions from providers who help individuals and families recover, the clients who are currently or have previously dealt with ED, and the families and friends who are impacted and supporting their loved one for our #ExplainingED campaign. For these submissions, providers, clients, family, and friends, were asked to complete the sentence "What I want you to know about eating disorders is______________." Our #ExplainingED campaign sheds light on some of the dos, don'ts, insights, hurt, shame, resilience, recovery, and other factors that come with an eating disorder. How would you complete the sentence?

Make sure to check out part 1 of #ExplainingED. Join us for part 3 on Friday.

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

For the past two years we have partnered with St. Paul Ballet during Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Going into our third year with them is such a pleasure. This year's theme, SeeBeyond Beautiful stemmed from their recent re-brand and focuses on each person's perspective, looking past what is on the outside and focusing on who they are on the inside and what shapes their perception. We hope you enjoy reading some varying perspectives on what beauty is to the company members at St. Paul Ballet.

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person's unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types, body shapes, or relationships with food. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Over the past month we have been gathering submissions from providers who help individuals and families recover, the clients who are currently or have previously dealt with ED, and the families and friends who are impacted and supporting their loved one for our #ExplainingED campaign. For these submissions, providers, clients, family, and friends, were asked to complete the sentence, "What I want you to know about eating disorders is______________." Our #ExplainingED campaign sheds light on some of the dos, don'ts, insights, hurt, shame, resilience, recovery, and other factors that come with an eating disorder. Make sure to check out part 2 of #ExplainingED to come on Wednesday, and part 3 on Friday.

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

The popularity and accessibility of yoga has grown exponentially in the past decade. According to a study by Yoga Journal, approximately 20 million Americans older than 18 years practiced yoga in 2012, constituting 8.7% of the adult population.1 An industry report by IBIS World estimates there are more than 30,000 yoga and Pilates studios in the United States.2 Many of the 170+ eating disorder (ED) treatment facilities in the U.S. offer yoga or other mind-body based activities as a component of treatment.3 A 2006 study of 18 residential ED treatment programs in the nation found that two-thirds of the programs offered yoga.4

So it's that time of year. The time when the marketing campaigns begin, telling us "this is the year" to make a change, lose weight, get fit, get healthy, change ourselves and turn over a new leaf. Hey, I am a big believer in change -- it truly is the only constant -- and some change and internal focus is needed to grow and expand as a human being. It can be positive, healthy and needed. It can be helpful to step back and reflect on how things went during the previous year, what you want for next year and sketch out a plan of action on how to reach those goals.

As we think ahead to what this New Year will bring with an eating disorder, some of us may already be implementing our New Year's resolutions. Some of them may be centered around eating, stopping behaviors or maybe even recovery. (Remember, aim for daily goals, instead of an entire year to set yourself up for success.)

This is one person's story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Liz Rognes, a former Emily Program client in recovery. She is a teacher, writer, and musician who lives in Spokane, WA.

A few months after I gave birth to my son, I decided I wanted a pair of jeans. None of my clothes from before pregnancy fit, and I was tired of wearing maternity pants. But I was terrified of the process of finding jeans that fit. My body had changed and was still changing, and I had no idea what size to try.

Words aren't the only way to connect to memories and feelings stored in the body. This is why we incorporate integrative therapies, including yoga, into treatment at The Emily Program.

Yoga is a practice of specific postures (asanas) linked with breath while incorporating a focused intention of moving inward for self-exploration or reflection, and decreased anxiety and depression. In yoga, the mind is not separate from the body nor is the body separate from the mind. The Breath is the mechanism that bridges the gap between the two. When we discuss yoga here, we are referring to mind, body, and breath. When yoga is practiced with traditional methods, it is a practice of wholeness.